Joan & The Giants have just dropped their latest single “Good Time”, and it’s an absolute summer anthem. It’s an easy, breezy number that has me thinking of carefree moments like highway drives and bonfires on the beach.
“‘Good Time’ is about being madly in love and letting go of control,” said the band’s frontwoman, Grace Newton-Wordsworth. “This indie guitar-soaked summer song is a sexy ride, and it’s the first time I’ve let myself get sexy and feel sexy in a song. I just love the way it makes me feel, and I hope it brings some good times to people.”
Joan & The Giants will play a few shows this month to warm up for their massive slot supporting P!NK in March. If you don’t have tickets to the stadium shows, make sure you catch them at one of their free gigs!
19 January 2024 – Froth Craft Brewery, Goomburrup/Bunbury (FREE)
20 2024 – Settlers, Wooditup/Margaret River (FREE)
21 2024 – Caves House Hotel, Wooditup/Yallingup (FREE)
1 March 2024 – Optus Stadium, Perth (supporting P!NK)
2 March 2024 – Optus Stadium, Perth (supporting P!NK)
Image used with permission from Kick Push PR
Hit the volume, because Meeanjin/Brisbane punksters Talk Heavy have just released a fabulous new single, “The Montreal Screwjob,” and it’s best played loud. And often. After the emo vibes of their last two tracks, “The Montreal Screwjob” is a bit of a change of pace. Rather than going deep and dark, the lads retell the story of ‘90s wrestling icon Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart.
“We’d been sitting on this instrumental song for a time trying to find the right lyrics. When I was talking to our guitarist Pat about it, he suggested to just try writing about something silly or non-personal instead of our usual personal existentialism,” explained Matt Cochran, the band’s vocalist and guitarist. “We’re both 90’s wrestling nerds so we ended up settling on The Montreal Screwjob. I’ve always wanted to write about wrestling because it’s something I obsessed over as a kid and I was inspired by the way that The Mountain Goats channeled that in their own way for their 2015 album ‘Beat The Champ’. We’re super proud of how it turned out, it’s just a fun dumb song and I can’t wait to play it live.”
Talk Heavy are celebrating the release with the announcement of a brand new East Coast tour. Catch them anywhere you can this February.
9 February 2024 – Black Bear Lodge, Meeanjin/Brisbane (with Melaleuca and Upsetter)
16 February 2024 – Burdekin Hotel, Eora/Sydney (with Great Job! and Hugs)
17th February 2024 – Dicey Riley’s, Dharawal Country/Wollongong (supporting Raised As Wolves and Jayhawks)
23rd February 2024 – The Presynct, Naamba/Nambour (supporting City Council with Robbie Thunder and Electric Prawns 2)
Absolute force of nature Emma Donovan is back with a beautiful new soul single “Lovin’ Looks Like.” But don’t mistake this beautiful ballad for just another love song.
‘“Lovin Looks Like’ is a healing song about learning to love yourself again. It’s about taking a good look in the mirror and seeing who you are and knowing and learning about all your worth,” Emma explained. “After being broken from a relationship, learning to love yourself can be hard but over the years I’ve taken good advice. I’ve learned that putting myself first isn’t a bad thing and that I should never be made to feel bad about that focus.”
“Lovin’ Looks Like” is the latest track from Emma’s forthcoming new album, which Emma said further explores the concept of “not being afraid to do this on my own and walking strong through everything”. Emma will bring her new music and plenty of old favourites to the people on her upcoming shows. She’ll return to Tamworth, where she began playing with her family band The Donovans at the tender age of 11, before embarking on a national tour with Charley Crockett. These shows will be the only place you can get your hands on a limited-edition double A-side 7” single featuring “Lovin’ Looks Like” and previous release “Blak Nation,” so make sure you stop by the merch stand!
Sometimes it takes a band announcing a tour to put them on my radar. When I heard New Jersey rock act The Front Bottoms were making their “long-awaited return” in April, I wondered who’d been waiting for them! That’s on me though. After hearing their 2023 release You Are Who You Hang Out With, I’m a fan. And I’m kicking myself that I’ll have to miss them due to a holiday in April!
I don’t want you to though. Take a listen. Trust me, you don’t want to find that you were sleeping too once everyone tells you how great these shows were. And I have no doubt that they will be.
Handsome Tours is running a presale tomorrow at 10 am before tickets go on sale to the general public on Thursday January 18 at 10 am.
One of the hardest working bands in the country, Sophisticated Dingo, are hitting the road again. The band will tour the country to celebrate the recent release of their latest single “I Don’t Mind.” We’re used to these guys going full throttle, but this beautiful track shows the duo’s softer side.
Vocalist and guitarist Lewis Matte says “I Don’t Mind” is “a reminder not to take any moment for granted. No one knows how long they have left. Nothing is perfect. Embrace imperfection. Embrace growth through learning from the outcomes of your actions. Be malleable, open to compromise and to building dreams together with the ones you love. Let them inspire you. Speak simply. Embrace what you have. Don’t overcomplicate it. Enjoy the ride.”
Hollow Coves are making me nostalgic for a time gone by with their latest single “Photographs.” This charming folk song takes us back to a simpler time before mobile phones, when we’d only capture special moments and we’d have those physical images to proudly display. The song was inspired by Matt Carins’ mum and her collection of carefully curated family photo albums.
“This was the first song we wrote during our writing sessions with Matt Corby and Alex Henrikkson. We ended up having a conversation in the studio about how photographs use to be something special that people would keep in a photo album. However, now that we can take photos with our phones, it seems like photos will most likely just get lost amongst the sea of photos,” the band explained. “Matt (Carins) brought up that his mum has kept a photo album for him and his siblings since they were born. We all thought that was pretty special and kind of a lost art in this day and age. So we decided to write a song about her and the lost art of the photograph.”
“Photographs” is the first track lifted from Hollow Coves’ sophomore album Nothing to Lose. International fans can expect to hear more new music and their old favourites from the duo plays shows in Europe, the United Kingdom, and North America in the coming months.
26 March 2024 – Gebäude 9, Cologne
28 March 2024 – Muziekgieterij, Maastricht
29 March 2024 – TivoliVredenburg – Ronda, Utrecht
30 March 2024 – Zeche Carl, Essen
31 March 2024 – Uebel & Gefährlich, Hamburg
2 April 2024 – Columbia Theater, Berlin
3 April 2024 – MeatFactory, Prague
4 April 2024 – Simm City, Vienna
5 April 2024 – Technikum, Munich
7 April 2024 – Magazzini Generali, Milan
8 April 2024 – Komplex 457, Zurich
9 April 2024 – Les Docks, Lausanne
11 April 2024 – Halle02, Heidelberg
12 April 2024 – Opderschmelz, Dudelange
13 April 2024 – Le Trabendo, Paris
14 April 2024 – AB Ballroom, Brussels
16 April 2024 – O2 Forum Kentish Town, London
17 April 2024 – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
18 April 2024 – Academy 2, Manchester
5 June 2024 – Union Stage, Washington DC
6 June 2024 – The Foundry, Philadelphia
8 June 2024 – Warsaw, New York City
10 June 2024 – Paradise Rock Club, Boston
11 June 2024 – MTELUS, Montreal
12 June 2024 – Danforth Music Hall, Toronto
14 June 2024 – Lincoln Hall, Chicago
15 June 2024 – Fine Line, Minneapolis
17 June 2024 – Gothic Theatre, Denver
19 June 2024 – The Grand at the Complex, Salt Lake City
22 June 2024 – El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles
23 June 2024 – Venture Music Hall, Ventura
24 June 2024 – Bimbo’s 365 Club, San Francisco
26 June 2024 – Aladdin Theater, Portland
27 June 2024 – The Crocodile, Seattle
29 June 2024 – Vogue Theatre, Vancouver
30 June 2024 – Capital Ballroom, Victoria
Mulga Bore Hard Rock Band were thrust into the spotlight when they were handpicked by their heroes KISS to support them on Yugambeh Country/Gold Coast in 2022. The schoolkids from the tiny Northern Territory community of Akaye (Mulga Bore) made the long trek to Queensland to support their idols on the biggest stage of their lives. Since then they’ve been capitalising on their success, opening Australia’s largest First Nations festival Yirramboi last May and releasing quality tracks like “Big Train” and “Let Me Rock N Roll.”
If you like what you hear, make sure you check out Mulga Bore Hard Rock at one of their upcoming shows:
19 January 2023 – Cherry Bar, Naarm/Melbourne
26 January 2023 – Share the Spirit Festival @ Myer Music Bowl, Naarm/Melbourne (FREE)
27 January 2023 – Brunswick Ballroom, Bulleke-bek/Brunswick (supporting No Fixed Address)
18 February 2023 – St Kilda Festival, Euro Yuroke/St Kilda (FREE)
2 March 2023 – Mona Foma Festival @ Cataract Gorge Reserve, Kanamuluka/Launceston (FREE)
Wonnarua Country/Hunter Valley country starlet Katie Jayne shows she’s no doormat with her sassy new single “Booty Call.” It’s a fun slice of girl power that’s going to resonate with anyone who’s tired of the games and situationships.
“Booty Call will have your boots dancing, your body moving and your voice raised high, singing the lyrics like a crazy woman!” Katie enthused.
Katie is enjoying some downtime for the holidays, but she’ll be back in action for the Tamworth Country Music Festival. If you’re heading to Kamilaroi Country for the festival, here are all the places you can see her play
19 January 2024 – Diggers (full band show @ 7pm)
20 January 2024 – Tamworth Shopping World (acoustic @ midday)
20 January 2024 – Diggers (full band show @ 7pm)
21 January 2024 – The Atrium Arcade Stage (acoustic @ 11:30am)
22 January 2024 – Longyard (full band show @ 8:30pm)
24 January 2024 – The Atrium Arcade Stage (acoustic @ 10am)
25 January 2024 – Moonshiners (full band show @ 10pm)
26 January 2024 – Diggers (full band show @ 7pm)
27 January 2024 – Tamworth Shopping World (acoustic @ 11:15am)
27 January 2024 – Diggers (full band show @ 7pm)
28 January 2024 – Longyard (full band show @ 5pm)
Most of us have a crowded concert calendar in the summer months, but things tend to peter out once autumn hits. If you’re keen to keep the party going, make sure you snag some tickets for HERE COMES THE SUN, a cool music festival that runs alongside some of the nation’s biggest surfing events.
It’s bigger than ever in 2024, with organisers adding a Victorian date alongside the Bells Pro. This complements the flagship event in Western Australia, which has run alongside the World Surf League Margaret River Pro for the last four years. Next year’s lineup is also stacked, with Ocean Alley, Ball Park Music, Ruby Fields, Jack Botts, South Summit, and Clews all gracing the HERE COMES THE SUN stage. Tickets are on sale now.
The Pierce Brothers might be one of the most consistent bands on the Aussie music scene. I fall instantly in love with everything they release, and their latest single “Bottle” is no exception. Often their tracks are slow burners, but this one brings the party vibes from the jump. And it’s got horns! Yes please.
“We really wanted to give the song a blues, almost Motown feel. Kicking things off with the horns gave it such a vibe, and we absolutely love it!” Jack Pierce enthused. “When I wrote the track, I knew the exact part the horns were going to play, but when we got into the studio, it was Phil [Threlfall, the band’s longtime collaborator] who pitched that opening, and I‘m so happy he did!”
The video, filmed at the King of Tonga Bar in Euro-Yroke/Elwood, shows you how much fun seeing the Pierce Brothers can be.
“It’s a pretty heavy subject matter, but I wanted to use a dark moody setting and have a bit of levity in there. We liked the idea of Jack going hell for leather, while I was slowly coaxed into the song,” explained Jack’s brother and band mate, Pat Pierce. “Much like a night at a pub can be. It was such a quick shoot and edit, and came together really well! Just vibes for days!”
Pierce Brothers have a couple of local dates before they jet off to Europe for their Studio tour. Catch them anywhere you can:
